1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a device and terminal for communicably connecting a user-owned portable terminal and multiple printing devices situated at various localities via a network, receiving data printing requests from the portable terminal, and outputting data relating to the data printing requests to one of the printing devices. Particularly, the present invention relates to a data output control device and portable terminal suitably used for readily obtaining detailed information on a network.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, information on the Internet can be readily obtained at any location by using i-mode (Registered Trademark) provided by NTT DoCoMo, Inc., for example. However, with such portable terminals, while information on the Internet can be readily obtained at any location, the display means are of a simple configuration due to considerations such as reduction in size of the portable terminal and reduction in power consumption and so forth. Accordingly, the information displayed is quite simplified as compared to that displayed on a normal personal computer, so this has not come close to providing information which sufficiently satisfies the users.
Accordingly, a proposal can be made for an arrangement for obtaining detailed information while maintaining the small size and reduction in power consumption of the portable terminal, by combining a portable terminal with a printing device, so as to display general information on the portable terminal and print detailed information with the printing device. However, there are several problems which must be technically solved for such an arrangement combining a portable terminal with a printing device.
For example, a printing device is large and is not readily carried along with a portable terminal, so printing detailed information using a printing device set up in the home or office can be necessary. However, using a fixed particular printing device does not remotely approximate readily obtaining information at any location. Therefore, in order to realize this there is the need to either reduce the printing device to a portable level, or to arrange for arbitrary printer devices to be used. In the case of the former, it is extremely difficult to technologically realize this at the current state, so this is not realistic. In the case of the later, unique drivers are necessary for each printing device, so drivers for all printing devices to be used must be installed in the portable terminal, which also is not realistic.
Also, for example, even in the event that an arbitrary printing device could be used, the portable terminal and the printing device are not integral but separate. Therefore when the user prints detailed information with the printing device, there is the need to go to the printing device and get the printed material. However, if the location where the printing device is installed is not clear, the user must search for the installed location in order to obtain the printed material, and it can be foreseen that this would be a waste of time and trouble.